Golden REAKTOR VOSIM!!

Well, for all you poor bastards who don’t own a G2 modular, and can’t use the VOSIM patch I made for mine, I have put together a VOSIM patch in Reaktor.  Actually, part of the reason I made it was just to implement some features I couldn’t get in the G2, and because I thought it might sound different in reaktor.

part of the GUI for the vosim synth

part of the GUI for the vosim synth

 

It does sound different, and, actually, I think it sounds better in Reaktor!  Part of the reason (geek speak here) is that the ramp oscillator in Reaktor allows more precision for syncing the waveforms and there are less jitter artifacts.  Also, reaktor just sounds good :).  I was also able to mess around with a couple tricks that are easier in reaktor than on the nord.

 

another snap of the GUI

another snap of the GUI

The architecture of this synth:  It is a 3 OP VOSIM/FM hybrid.  The 3 oscillators can frequency modulate each other, and are all fed into the same VOSIM “burst envelope” which creates the fundamental frequency, and the 3 operator/oscillators are what create the formants.

I found that using a little frequency modulation can add a lot of texture to the vocal sound, or just help in creating a lot of crazy textures.

I’ve also included a fairly comprehensive modulation section.  There are only a few presets, but there is really a lot of possibilities in this synth, so enjoy!

I made a simple track to show some sounds from this Reaktor patch.  It was just a fun quick demo, but there’s some good textures in there, anyhow.  The pad/abstraction sounds are from the VOSIM synth.  The “techno” sounding synth and the drums are from the nord g2 modular.  

unsavory Associations Mp3 audio

and here is the reaktor patch:

golden vosim reaktor patch

1 Comment

Golden Master, March 17th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Audio And Synthesis, microtonal, reaktor, software

Reaktor Modular Sequencing, Pt. 2

Well, looks like my weekend project has been working on my modular sequencing application for Reaktor.  I’ve detailed what this is all about in my previous blog.  I’ve updated the sequencer and added some detailed comments on all the GUI elements to help people get up to speed with using it.

some sequencer objects, including a scale quantizer with probabilities!some sequencer objects, including a scale quantizer with probabilities!

I’ve included a handful of useful modules.  These modules are meant to be added and removed at your convenience to suit whatever purpose.  Ideally, you could create multiple instruments holding these sequencer modules, and have them sent to various different devices, and store the different instruments in different Reaktor panelsets.

I’ve created a quick demo track to show some of the things the current sequencer modules can do, and this is only a small fraction of the possibilities.  This track is Reaktor sending midi to my G2 modular on two different midi channels.

“reaktor sequencer chaos” mp3 audio

All modules have their own independent pattern lengths and step speeds. Included modules are a 6 channel drum sequencer, 3 kinds of gate sequencers, a “control” sequencer, a numeric sequencer, an LFO module for triggering sequences, a tempo modulation LFO, and a scale quantizer for making melodies with.

the drum sequencerthe drum sequencer

I plan on making more modules:  Some random trigger modules, ratio sequencers, and so on, as well as MIDI automation stuff for sending CC messages, program changes, and also a snapshot sequencer for automatically changing the reaktor snapshots while the sequence is running.

anyway, let me know what you think, and I am especially interested in other people trying their hand at making some of their own sequencer modules too :).

Here is a link to the reaktor ensemble:

Reaktor Modular Sequencer Beta 2

3 Comments

Golden Master, February 21st 2010 | Tags: , , ,
Posted in Nord G2 Modular, reaktor, software, tracks

Harmonic Ratio Arpeggiator

I’ve gone on another microtonal trip lately, and have been working with ratios again.  The thing about composing music with frequency ratios is that it places you in a brave new world where each interval is made up of TWO numbers instead of one (as in the traditional system, a fourth, third, fifth, etc).  There are also all kinds of undiscovered tones and frequencies and relationships.  There has to be a way to explore all this!

 

picture of the GUI for the reaktor arpeggiator

picture of the GUI for the reaktor arpeggiator

 

For those of you that aren’t hopeless music nerds like myself, a frequency ratio is just a relationship between frequencies.  It is also the language of a tuning system called “just intonation.”  A basic example:  In the key of A, with the root frequency being 440 hertz, the A in the next higher octave is related to the original note a440 by a frequency ratio of 2/1, and is 880 hz.  A major third is the ratio 5/4, or 550 hertz.  Instead of the normal 12 steps per octave of Equal temperament, there is an infinite gradation of frequencies that you can manipulate to your heart’s content.  

 

With all that freedom comes massive confusion.  I have been trying to come up with some systems for composing with these numbers.  The first most obvious idea would be to just make a fixed scale, choose a few notes, and play with that.  That is fun!  But, it doesn’t take advantage of all the flexibility that working with just intonation truly gives you.  Instead of just choosing 7 or 12 or 10 notes, you can start with a set of 5 notes, and make them mutate and evolve into an infinity of other frequencies, but all logically related by numerical relationships!

 

This is my first system for making melodies and chords in just intonation: a harmonic arpeggiator.  There are two different tables containing numbers for the numerator and denominator, and these tables can be moved through independently, at different speeds.  Midi input triggers notes, but only the time and octave of the input notes is taken, and the rest is controlled by the ratio sequencers.

 

I have implemented this system in both my Nord g2 modular and in Reaktor, so I can make them work together.  

 

Here is a simple melodic sort of track I did with the g2 patch:

Mp3 Audio of “Hydrogen”

 

Here is the Reaktor patch:

Reaktor Harmonic Arpeggiator

 

Here are a couple g2 patches:

G2 Harmonic Arpeggiator with Karpluss Synthesis

 

I will be coming up with more stuff soon!  I want to make some programs that allow you to dynamically change the scale as you play.  Not sure how easy that will be to do in the g2, but I’ll definitely be able to do it in reaktor.

 

10 Comments

Golden Master, February 8th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Audio And Synthesis, Nord G2 Modular, microtonal, reaktor, software, tracks

Reaktor: Golden Loop Sampler

As promised, here is another Reaktor ensemble.  I have been needing a good tool for working with drum loops, and didn’t really have anything that fit into my setup right.  So I just made a sample chopper.  There are some good slicers in the library, but, as usual, I wanted something that fit my needs.  

 

This slicer cuts your loop into equal divisions and then plays back those divisions with midi notes.  Each slice can be randomized in pitch, playback speed, and sample offset, and the probability of randomization can be set, too.  That’s pretty much it!

 

 Sampler GUI

 

Here are some quick MP3 demos I did of the slicer:

demo 1

demo 2

 

Here is the Ensemble:

Golden Slicer

1 Comment

Golden Master, January 24th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in reaktor, software

Golden Reaktor Grain Sampler!

I haven’t really posted any reaktor patches on this blog.  I have quite a few Reaktor patches that I’ve made that i’m pretty proud of, however!  So, I’m going to try and start parting them out and bringing them here for people.  I try to comment them so they make sense, but you know–these patches were designed for my idiosyncratic way of working.

 

Snapshot of the GUI of the sampler.

Snapshot of the GUI of the sampler.

The GoldenCloudSampler .ens file is here.

This sampler was designed to work with my way of thinking about granulation and sampling.  There is a comprehensive modulation section where you can use clock-synced sequencers as well as LFO’s and envelopes to control the grain, filter, pitch, and volume parameters.  The start time in the sample, and speed of the traversal through the sample, are also randomizable upon midi note input.

There is also a sequencer which lets you flip through the various samples loaded into the sample map, synced to tempo.  I like to use groups of similar-sounding samples, and flip through them, to add a constantly evolving feel.  

Enough of that technical mumbo jumbo!   here are a couple tracks that i’ve written, using this sampler.

“Sun Choke” Mp3 audio.  This track’s sound is all from reaktor, and everything but the drums is from this sampler patch.

“whiteFish” Mp3 audio.  This track’s sampling work is a blend of samples from a shakuhachi, and a persian santur.  Other sounds were added from my synthesizers as well.  The String-like granulated sound that comes in after the introduction, and gets loudest about halfway through the track, is from this sampler.  The flute sounds were produced by another sampler instrument I made, which i’ll post up here soon as well.

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Golden Master, January 19th 2010 | Tags: , ,
Posted in Audio And Synthesis, reaktor, software, tracks

Micro Tune your MIDI synths with Reaktor

More microtuning stuff: I’ve been using my TX81z and reaktor lately for synthesizing microtonal music.  I didn’t realize I had another way to get microtonal sitting right under my nose: I could just use reaktor to microtune my synths using pitchbend data!  The limitation of this method is that you can only have one note per midi channel.   However, with a multi-timbral synth, you can still make harmonies!  It’s a very simple patch, as you can see:

microtuneInstrument

It’s very basic:  the pitch goes into a microtuning macro, the midi pitch is quantized by a modulus operation, the difference between the microtuned note and the equal tempered note is sent to the pitchbend output.  piece of cake!

Link to the reaktor file

Here’s a demo of what this sounds like, with a gamelan scale, using my MKS-70

Microtonal Gamelan Melody on MKS-70 synthesizer

5 Comments

Golden Master, December 8th 2009 | Tags: , , ,
Posted in microtonal, reaktor, tracks, tuning

Golden Master and my Golden Numbers

On the header of this site, it mentions “tunings,” in addition to the musings and so on.  I thought it was about time to explain these golden numbers to my humble followers.  

 

Recently, I’ve been interested in other things, but last year I especially dove into researching the overtone series, where musical harmony comes from, and how to make music that relates directly to natural harmony.  Among musicians it’s commonly known that the “equal temperament” scale that we’ve been using since roughly the time of Bach compromises the purity of the tuning of a scale in order to allow musicians to explore more harmonic relations and progressions without having to worry about howlingly out-of-tune notes.  The practical value and elegance of this compromise have been proven by the fact that it’s been the standard for tuning of western instruments for about 300 years now, and even modernity with all its breakings-down of traditions and upheavals has hardly managed to make a dent in the ubiquity of this tuning system.

 

In fact, in my experience, I’ve found it very difficult to use anything besides this ingrained-by-centuries system.  Any instrument that has a fixed tuning–nearly all of them, except for fretless instruments like violins–is always tuned to equal temperament.  People interested in composing with other pitches have usually had to resort to using difficult software or building or modifying their own instruments, like Harry Partch. Electronic music instruments, despite offering new frontiers of sound, generally offer no way to circumvent equal temperament, though there are options out there.  The only hardware synthesizer I own that is capable of micro-tunings is my Yamaha TX81z.

 

 

Harry Partch, one of my inspirations, built many beautiful instruments so he could perform his own microtonal music.

Harry Partch, one of my inspirations, built many beautiful instruments so he could perform his own microtonal music.

 

I’ll get into the details and theory behind this at some point, but for now, I’ll just share what I was working on today.  I decided that I should go ahead and take advantage of the tuning capabilities of the TX81z, naively assuming that it would be fairly easy to operate.  I was wrong, of course.

 

The TX’s microtuning system is based around a weird system of 1/64th semitones, instead of the usual 1/100th “cents” that are used almost everywhere else.  Besides this, ‘cents’ are quite different from the ratios that Harry Partch, others, and myself prefer.  So, I’ve slapped together a little spreadsheet to make all the necessary calculations.  

 

 

excerpt from the excel spreadsheet I use to determine microtunings

excerpt from the excel spreadsheet I use to determine microtunings. If anyone is interested in these, feel free to email me.

 

Yes, it seems like it’s a lot of work to make microtonal music.  But I think, to break free of old traditions and make something new, that kind of work is always required.

 

here is the track that I made today. Somewhat of a test just to see if everything was working, but I liked how it turned out.  Panned to the left is the tx81z, and the other synth, with the granular effects, is a reaktor patch i’ve made.  

 

In this track, I linger a lot on the “harmonic minor seventh,” which is a minor seventh that is based on the seventh overtone in the overtone series, as opposed to a more typical one, which normally is composed of a fifth with a minor third stacked on it, or two fourths stacked on each other.  The harmonic minor seventh is much flatter than the one we’re used to, but also has a completely new sound.

 

Link to MP3 audio of “ratio etude #1″

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Golden Master, October 24th 2009 | Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Theory, Ideas, tracks